As many of you already know, Chad Oliver is part of the Mountain Biking by 198 crew and tests out parts from time to time. I went to Chad a couple of weeks ago and gave him a set of Excavator and Telonics tires from Kenda and told him to go rip it up.

So Big Creek is like my home track. You won’t find it on anyone’s Top-50-Must-Ride-Before-You-Die lists. But for nearly 8 miles of totally wooded singletrack and a natural freeride area smack dab in the middle of where like 4+ million people are crowded into? Trust me, it’s got its merits … and TTFs … and rocks … and drops … and rooty gnar.

Vancouver BC -Rocky Mountain Bicycles (RMB) is pleased to announce the donation of a custom painted mountain bike frame for auction, all proceeds will go to benefit the Brent Thomson medical fund. The Auction will begin Thursday January 29th at 5 pm PST.

The reason for this open letter to your company is my frustration with your hub production. For many years, I ran your XT hub set. During those times, the XT hub set was known for its quality build and free spinning characteristics.

At long last, the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has proposed a rule change which will make it easier for parks to open trails for mountain biking. IMBA urges mountain bikers to register comments in support of the rule change. IMBA has been asking for this change since the 1990s. We now enter a 60-day commentary period to make the change official.

The Avid Elixir brakes replace the Avid Juicy Ultimates and become the top of the line, multipurpose brake set for Avid/SRAM. Braking power with the new Avid Elixir’s are claimed to be somewhere in-between the Juicy and Code lineups. With new technologies like Taperbore, tool free adjustment, new G3 rotor and banjo fittings, the Elixir brake lineup brings something completely new to the table for Avid.

Two Time Olympian Mary McConneloug and teammate Michael Broderick will continue managing their custom-tailored race program racing under the title name: Team Kenda-Seven-NoTubes. The duo is thrilled to announce the continuation of their race program under this title sponsorship and is proud to step into the 2009 season backed by three of the most outstanding companies in the industry.

On January 7th, I set up a poll questioning “What Kind Of Rider Are You?” There were several options available and I asked you to pick the ones that most described you, your bike and your riding style. Here are the results!

It’s time! Finally! The weather has cooperated enough and you and your group are heading out on a weekend epic. This isn’t your regular Tuesday romp in the woods. This is going to be a ride to remember as you all suffer through some incredible mountain riding. These are rides that create memories.